Combattants de Liberté
by GhostfaceScylla
Summary: Chapter 5!During the French Revolution of the late 1700's, an amazing leader was born for the common man and his name was Kurama. He and his band of righteous followers try to stamp out the injustices. KuramaBotan fic eventually, reviews much appreciated!
1. Kurama the Rebel

Hey minna! This is my first YYH fic, I usually stick to Rurouni Kenshin and Cowboy Bebop… but I thought I'd give this a try! This is an a/u fic set during the French Revolution when the people of the New Republic were killing every noble in sight without any cause whatsoever. Some people set out to stop this terrible injustice, some tried to rescue the nobles and bring them out of France and into the free world once more.

This will end up being a Kurama/Botan fic, but the first two chapters or so are introductory… that is, they _will be introductory if you R&R…. flame me if you must, just leave me something!_

..::Late 1700's, Paris::..

            He leaned his back against the wall and breathed sullenly. The Champs d'Elysee was quiet that night, the stars alone spoke to him and he felt somewhat out of place among the celestial finery. His red hair had loosed itself from its ponytail and framed his face against the moonlight. Standing across the street from main intelligence headquarters, he began to cross the crudely built road. Then he heard the noise in the background. It began as a very low rumble and increased with every second past to a heightened ecstasy. The wheels of a wooden cart could be heard in the distance followed by a roar of a crowd. 

            Kurama darted into a nearby alleyway and pressed himself behind some trash. It would not do to be seen here by the French Republic Government, surely he would be sent to the guillotine. The cart came into his placid view. It was drawn by two nags and a toothless driver. On the back of it was a cage made of wooden bars, the cage held some six people dressed in fine brocade clothing. Behind the cart, Republic soldiers clad in red and blue followed with bayonets. Following the soldiers was a large mass of common people, crude clothing hugging their bodies. They held rotten vegetables and pummeled them at the nobles within the cage. Kurama caught sight of one of the prisoners behind the moving prison. A small boy, possibly nine or ten years old, clung to his mother's heavy skirt and cried. He looked so helpless and afraid, not at all like he had been last summer when the youth had visited Kurama at his London estate. The family was Madame and Monsieur d'Ambrois, Duke and Duchess of the Normandy, and their four children. 

            Kurama knew their fate. They were on their way to the holding pen where they would be detained until sunrise. At that time, the entire family would be taken out into the courtyard and beheaded. Kurama also knew he had to do something fast, something this very night, to save the family he had known for so long.

            As soon as the caravan and the commoners had passed, he hurried across the cobblestone street and snuck to the back of a run down drinking establishment. A set of stairs lead down to what appeared to be a heavy cellar door. He knocked a series of times, beating out an archaic rhythm across the wood before a voice came from within.

            "Password?"the voice sounded crystalline and a bit angry. 

            "Long live the House of Brunswick." The cellar door creaked open and Kurama hopped down into it, blinking his green eyes and adjusting to the lighted room. The older woman stepped aside to let him enter, her grey hair falling about her eyes. Genkai grunted as Kurama stepped past her and onto the main floor. In the square shaped confine stood the members of his troupe all busy about one thing or another. Kazuma Kuwabara had various maps laid out over a long wooden table and was busy marking them with a  feather pen. In one corner of the room, the black haired Hiei polished his sword with a cloth. His eyes narrowed into slits as he stared into the metal. Urameshi Yusuke had his feet up on the table and was busy writing a letter in his lap, no doubt to his exiled noble friend, Keiko. With the help of Kurama and the others, Yusuke had smuggled her into Austria when the French Revolution began. They constantly wrote to each other at least once a day and the entire group was sure that they were lovers even though both Keiko and Yusuke denied it.

            "Ahem…" Kurama cleared his throat causing the members of his troupe to look up at him. Yusuke laid his letter down on the table. "Did you hear the procession outside?" he queried.

            "Yeah. It was loud enough! Impossible to get any work done when the Republican Government comes through." Kuwabara continued marking up the maps as he spoke in a heavy stupor. "Hey, Kurama, did you bring any wine?" His eyes darted to Kurama's empty hands.

            "This is hardly the time for you to make yourself stupider than you are with the help of liquor." Hiei's words bit across the room at Kuwabara causing the large oaf to look up from the table and let out a carnal growl.

            "Hey, short stuff! I've been working for _three days_ without sleep to try to get together this master plan for Kurama. What have you been doing? Oh that's right, you've just been sitting there!"

            "Guys!" Yusuke exchanged a desperate glance with Kurama. "You wanna shut up for a minute and hear what _Kurama has to say?"_

            The red-head cleared his voice and took a chair at the head of the wooden table. Genkai followed him and sat across from Yusuke. "Kuwabara," He began, "I know you have been working many nights on a plan to try to ship us all back to Britain where it's safe… but there's just a few things we need to do before we leave. The commotion outside was the Duke and Dutchess of Normandy being lead to the holding chambers. They'll be beheaded tomorrow unless we do something. I know I promised each of you that we were retiring from the life of rescuing people and sailing back home, but the d'Ambois have treated us all so well while we've been here… what do you say, just one more?" 

            The members of Kurama's troupe did not look happy. They had been in Paris for over a year now, breaking the nobles out of the Paris jails and saving them from the guillotine. They were all more than ready to return to Britain where they could live without fear of being found out by the French authorities and done away with. 

            Genkai spoke for the group, "Can you not let an old lady have her peace?! How long have we worked ourselves for this cause of yours? Plus, a ship leaves tonight for England and _we_ have passage! The next one doesn't leave for another two weeks!" She looked angrier than usual in the candlelight and quite a bit older, too. 

            "How can you say no? Can you really live the rest of your lives knowing that you had the opportunity to save the lives of six people and you didn't?"

            "Yes." Hiei answered bluntly.

            "Well, I cannot. Please return to England without me, then. I will come on the next passage in two weeks." Kurama placed his hands on his hips in a show of defiance.

            "Wait a second!" Yusuke stood up and toppled his chair over. His eyes burned with the determination he was famous for. "We've stuck together all this time and now you're just gonna run off without us? No, I'm staying too."

            Kurama smiled, a rarity in his line of work.

            "Well Urameshi, I can't have you looking better than me." Kuwabara guffawed. "Guess that means I'll stick around a little while longer, too." He chucked the maps up into the air and plopped down on his chair. 

            Genkai let out a deep sigh of protest.

            "How about it, old hag? Wouldn't be the same without your griping all the time." The eighteen year old Yusuke grabbed the chair he had toppled over earlier and set it back upright.

            "What kind words, stupid student." Genkai's tongue dripped with sarcasm. "But I suppose without my wisdom you'll all die… or worse… and then I'd never hear the end of it from that Keiko of yours, Yusuke. I guess two weeks won't make that much of a difference." Before Yusuke could scream about Keiko not being his girlfriend, Kuwabara began. 

            "Hiei, you sticking or are you running back home like the scared little man you are?" Kuwabara was hoping his words struck the heart more than they appeared to. Hiei merely stood up and swung his sword in a helicopter motion around his head.

            "Would you like to test the 'scared little man' theory, oh walking cloud of intelligence?" Kuwabara was just about to stumble backward when Kurama interjected with the diplomacy that only the leader of a group can posess.

            "Cut it OUT!" Hiei then let his sword drop down to his side. "Perhaps you are forgetting that you are here to _save people _not to _fight amongst yourselves_. It's not even midnight and already you want to try to kill each other?!" After the group had quieted down, he began again. "Well, Hiei, are you in or out?"

            Hiei scoffed as if it was an entirely stupid question. "Kurama, I'm always in for a good fight." 

            "Great." A tinge of razor-sharp excitement quivered in the back of Kurama's voice. "Tonight is the last time we shall slither with snakes again."

Want the next chapter? Do ya? Wanna flame me? You can do that too1 just REVIEW! Hehe, until next time, minna

^_^

~Lara


	2. Night Rescue

Hey, Minna! Thanks to everyone that reviewed, you all rock! I didn't actually think this story would get any attention, but I'm happy it did! Here is chapter two, but once again, if you want me to continue, you have to REVIEW! Hehe, otherwise, the story ends here! 

Flame me if you wanna, but leave me a  little something, think of it as a holiday gift!  
  


..::somewhere in a government building across town::..

            A tall man in an expensive wool suit leaned up against a large mahogany desk. In front of him, a soldier sat in a straight back chair, the look of fright and intimidation painting his face.

            "Listen, soldier. I don't think you understand the importance of the questions I'm asking you. You are the only one to see this band of conspirators and live to tell about it! I'll ask you again, what did they look like?" Sakyou was growing impatient with the imbecile before him. 

            "I…uh…I dunno." The soldier stared back down at his hands.

            "Well you better start remembering!" a hint of agitation released itself from Sakyou's voice. "Over the past years, the Combattants de Liberté have freed countless nobles and undermined the revolution itself! They must be PUNISHED!" his fist came down hard on the table.

            "I remember…. They spoke in a British accent."

            This was valuable information. Sakyou placed his hand on his chin. "So they're British? Well, that certainly cuts down on the possible suspects. They must've spoken to you. What did they say?"

            This question made the soldier look even more uncomfortable. He wrung his hands in his lap and his feet fidgeted beneath him. "They said, 'death to the republic… and death to…. and death to…."

            "Yes?"

            "And death to the *gulp* rat, Sakyou."

            Sakyou hummed, his eyes glinting with detest. 'They know me…' He thought. 'How can they _possibly_ know me?' The soldier continued on. 

            "They were in black. Two had red hair and two had black hair. One was really old and graying… That's all I can remember."

            A frown worked its way onto the angular features of the Captain of the French Army. He searched the soldier's eyes for hints of insubordination, and finding none, Sakyou began. "That'll be all, soldier." The soldier stood and placed his hand in a salute. 

            "Long live the Republic!" He screamed to Citizen Sakyou.

            "Yes, yes… right, right. Long live the Republic." Sakyou mumbled the words with little enthusiasm. Then as soon as the soldier was gone, he opened a door behind his desk and called back into it. "Bring me the Toguro brothers!" within a matter of minutes, two men entered Sakyou's office. One was tall and bulky, bigger in breadth and height than the door itself. The other was an older man, long graying hair flowed over his back. 

            "Yesss?" the older one talked and hissed like a snake as he spoke.

            "I have a very important job for you two. I want you to rid the new republic of a group of troublesome rebels." A smile slithered its way onto the older Toguro brother's mouth as he listened with great interest at his mission. His fists clenched and un-clenched, anticipating the battle he was about to undertake. 

..::Thirty minutes later::..

            When the moon had been high in the sky for a few hours, five forms of darkness began making their way towards the prison a few miles away from the hideout. Their onyx clothes hid them well under the cover of the black night and their feet barely made a sound against the cobblestone as they tiptoed through the streets. They scurried down a back alleyway and across multiple rooftops, all jumping with the ease of one so highly skilled in the arts of death. 

            Within no time at all, they had approached the government compound. It was a tall building made of white stone and complete with many barred windows. The entire area was surrounded by a tall wall possibly twenty feet high. The five were now standing under this wall. Kurama and Yusuke now bent down and cupped their hands. Then each of the remaining three members stepped into their them, Genkai first, and Yusuke and Kurama catapulted them over the wall.

            Once Kurama had heard the soft landings of Kuwabara, Genkai, and Hiei on the other side, he motioned for Yusuke to step into his hands. With one upward thrust from Kurama, Yusuke flew into the air and landed gracefully on the top of the wall, motioning for Kurama to follow him as he dropped down on the other side.

            Kurama stepped back for just a moment, and then running forward, propelled himself upward by the use of only his feet. If one could have seen this, it would have appeared that Kurama was dashing up the side of the wall… in fact, he was. Once he had landed on the other side, he caught sight of two sleeping soldiers next to a large door with bars. 

            "Ready?" He asked his troupe. They gave an anxious grin. "Kuwabara, you stay here and guard the soldiers while we try to sneak past them. If they wake, kill them immediately." Kurama's voice was barely a whisper, audible to only his friends and the wind. Kuwabara nodded in reply as the rest of the group flew towards the door. Yusuke reached the bars first and stealthily slipped between two of them. Hiei, Genkai, and Kurama followed suit.

            Yusuke coughed. "This place is horrible!" he screeched, below levels of regular human hearing. It was quite true. All around them, rats and rodents crawled back and fourth over the path between cells. It was dimly lit and smelled of rotting souls. Suddenly, the group heard footsteps. 

            "Someone's coming!" shrieked Genkai between her teeth. Just then, two soldiers rounded the corner. They were both portly men and one was whistling. The four people in the corridor jumped up and hung tight to the ceiling as a spider sticks to the wall. The policeman talked amongst themselves.

            "S'a rarity that we get to guard s'mone as rich as them six." One said to the other.

            "S'a chance of a lifetime. Tomorrow, the d'Ambois will be long gone. Glad I got to meet such noble scum." The other answered. "What'd citizen Sakyou call 'em?" The two guards were so close that Kurama could smell the stench of cheap wine hanging on their breath.

            "'S… Delectable?" The first soldier queried.

            "S'not it… Detestable! Detestable, 'n a danger to the Great Rev'lution." The other retorted and let out a belly laugh as he passed directly under Kurama and the others. Suddenly, Kurama saw something gleaming from around one of the soldiers waists. A key ring! From behind his ear he pulled out a rose.

            SHING!

            The noise echoed in the stone corridor, bouncing off the walls and resonating to and fro.

            "What was that?" One of the soldiers said, his eyes huge and bulging like an ugly bullfrog.

            "Dunno. Maybe this place's haunted. Less get outta here!" and with that, the two men briskly walked ahead. Kurama smiled, his white teeth gleaming in the little light. He jumped down from the ceiling and pulled the key ring from off of his rose whip, showing it to his shocked friends. Even the unemotional Hiei wiped his brow with the back of his hand, sweating for fear of being caught. The group trekked ahead, and the farther they went, the more the floor dropped down. With each turn in the dungeon, they were going a few more feet below the ground. Finally, they began to hear a muffled crying noise. 

            "Shall we pick up the pace a bit?" Kurama asked his followers. They nodded. Without making a sound, the four of them began to run forward, Kurama leading. Suddenly, he stopped. Up ahead was a cell containing six people. It was guarded closely by four different soldiers, all fully awake and on patrol. 

            "And the fun begins." Hiei smiled, showing his canines as he did. They seemed to grow, giving him an animalistic appearance. "I'll take the one on the far left. He looks the most athletic." He pointed with his sword to a soldier leaning against a far wall sucking on his cigarette which was dangling at the end of his thin lips.

            "Fine, fine. Everyone just pick one and let's get this over with." On the leader's word, the four shot forward towards the stunned soldiers. They raised their guns with bayonets, placed their hands on the triggers, and before they could shoot… fell stone cold to the floor.

            Genkai stood, her hands poised and ready in a cats claw position. They still glowed with a residue of blue. Yusuke was relaxed, his feet set apart and his hands together with the index fingers forward. Hiei had a trace of disappointment on his face, standing over his opponent with his sword inserted into the man's chest. 

            "It's not fun if they have no fighting spirit."         He said in a melancholy tone. 

            "It's not fun anyway they are, you cold hearted…" Genkai couldn't think of an appropriate animal to compare Hiei to, and just continued talking. "It's killing all the same."

            "I know." Hiei showed his bone-white smile. "That's why it should be fun."

            Suddenly, a noise came from the cell. It was a whimpering, like one would hear from a blind dog. Kurama turned to face the noise and caught sight of a small boy huddling in the dark, his knees drawn up under himself and crying. His eyes were big with terror.

            Kurama pulled the key out from his pocket and unlocked the cell door. "Jean-Claude," He held his hand out to the small boy, "Do you remember me? We spent the summer together at Norfolk in Britain. I'm here to help you." He smiled, his red hair framing his bright face. However, that didn't seem to have any affect on the boy, he cowered from Kurama's touch. 

            "Lord Youko, what are you doing here?" A crystalline voice asked. Duchess d'Ambrois was smoothing her hair with the back of her hand, her age was beginning to show on her powdered face stained with tears.

            "Shh." Genkai placed her finger to her mouth. "There's no time. We have to get you out of here."

            "Out?" A wide eyed six year old girl mouthed the world.

            "Yes, out, Celeste… Freedom" Kurama patted her on the head and then took her in his arms, beginning to walk the way that they had came. His footsteps were light and quick, so quick that the rest of the d'Ambrois family had trouble keeping up. The path wound upwards under Kurama's step and soon they approached the entrance. Kurama could see the two soldiers at the front entrance sleeping lightly. A few feet off, Kuwabara was guarding them. He caught sight of them and lightly stepped out of the bushes. The four members of Kurama's troupe and the d'Ambrois family, Kurama holding Celeste, tiptoed quietly by the soldiers… that is, all but the youngest boy. Just before going through the prison's front door he tripped on a misplaced stone and landed with a definitive smack on the hard earth. He jumped to his feet quickly, but it was too late. The two soldiers were fully awake and standing in front of Kurama. 

            "Just wait ONE minute!" one of the soldiers said. He pointed his bayonet directly at Kurama, Celeste cowered in his arms. "Where do you think YOU'RE going?!"

            Kurama's quiet, dangerous eyes made the soldiers slink back a bit. "There is no reason to yell, my hearing is fine. Kuwabara, would you mind taking care of this?" With that, Kurama stepped around both of the stunned soldiers and proceeded to go around the back of the prison where a carriage was waiting, ready to carry the d'Ambrois family into Austria under the cover of night. Just behind him, Kurama could hear the cold laughing of Kuwabara as two guns went off into the crisp air. Then, a noise filled the space, like one drawing out a great metal sword from a scabbard, followed by the groan of two men. 

            Kurama helped the d'Ambrois family into the carriage and closed the door behind them. The Duchess fought back tears as she took Kurama's hand and pressed it against her warm cheek. "Lord Youko," she began, "I… I don't know how to repay you, you gem among the dust." He smiled.

            "Safe passage." And with that, he smacked one of the horses on the rear and the carriage lurched forward. The troupe watched it disappear down a dirt road off into the darkness.

            "Should we follow it?" Yusuke asked? Kurama shook his head side to side.

            "There's no reason to. They're as good as free. And we're done, my friends. This risky life… has finally come to a close." The five sighed a sigh of relief at this realization, walking back towards the Paris cobblestone streets and the headquarters. "Just two more weeks and a boat will arrive bound for Britain… we can go home."

            Paris has a funny way about her, as if she is some kind of woman, and Kurama did not know this way. Once she has you in her throes of love, she holds you there and will not release you. Paris captures your heart and will not return it; she will not let you sail away from her for as long as you live. Consulting with her lady Fate, Paris made plans to keep Kurama permanently, and Paris _always _succeeds in her undertakings. 

Well, minna, that's all for now. I felt like I needed to set the tone for the rest of the story in this chapter, and I tried to do that. Did it work? Or not? TELL ME! Flame me if you wanna, just leave me something! Next chapter (which will only come out if I get enough reviews) Botan makes her appearance. Hehe, thanks for reading!

~Lara-Chan


	3. FeatherLight Angel's Breath and a Despic...

Hey guys, big thanks to all of you that reviewed! *Singing* _You, light up my life, you give me hope, to carry ooooooon…. _hehe, anyway…………………….Reviews and flames alike are always extremely welcome, you wouldn't believe all the different uses for a flame! Well, we have made it to chapter three, but once again, if you want chapter four you gotta review. Otherwise, the proverbial buck stops right about here!

BTW, I had reviews telling me to make the chapters longer. Longer? Really? Okay, if you say so! ^_^

RECAP OF LAST CHAPTER:

     "There's no reason to. They're as good as free. And we're done, my friends. This risky life… has finally come to a close." The five sighed a sigh of relief at this realization, walking back towards the Paris cobblestone streets and the headquarters. "Just two more weeks and a boat will arrive bound for Britain… we can go home."

      Paris has a funny way about her, as if she is some kind of woman, and Kurama did not know this way. Once she has you in her throes of love, she holds you there and will not release you. Paris captures your heart and will not return it; she will not let you sail away from her for as long as you live. Consulting with her lady Fate, Paris made plans to keep Kurama permanently, and Paris _always _succeeds in her undertakings.

Chapter 3, FeatherLight Angel's Breath and a Despicable Plot

POP!

      Uproarious laughter escaped from the throats of Kuwabara and Yusuke as they watched golden champagne soak their sleeves and the floor of the headquarters. The light from the candelabras danced excitedly on the walls, resonating with the timbre of the five people in the room. Kurama held out five tall champagne flutes and Kuwabara poured the bubbling stuff until each one was full to the brim. Then after some cajoling, for Hiei was not a drinker and didn't intend to be, the five sat down around the table in the center of the room.

      "May I propose a toast?" Kurama lifted his eyes to gaze at each of his companions.

      "You have thirty seconds, Kurama, and that's it! One second over and I'm chucking this glass at you." Yusuke chided him and the rest of the troupe laughed in response.

      "Right. No one wants to drink warm champagne." Kurama stood up out of his chair, "To the years we've had here, to the trust and alliances we've formed, and to the French Monarchy which will rise once more! May the Combattants de Liberté life forever as the saviors of La France!" Glasses clinked in unison and voices rose to the heavens in exaltation, in gratitude of so many years so safely passed. 

      "Two weeks…" Kuwabara stared dreamily off into space, his eyes more than slightly clouded over by the presence of alcohol.

      "Two weeks until what?" Hiei said aloud, and then quietly added, "You big oaf," as an involuntary action. Making fun of Kuwabara had become a normal pattern, almost as easy to follow as ones own breathing.

     "Two more weeks and a ship will come to take us back home. Thank God, too. If I have to conjugate one more French verb in my head I will literally implode." Genkai finished Kuwabara's thoughts. Inwardly, Kurama smiled brightly. It was finally true, two more weeks and he would be in the safe haven of England's hills once more. 

..::Somewhere in a Government Building Across Town::..

      "WHAT?" Sakyou's brow wrinkled in detest at the two soldiers shaking in front of him. "WHERE ARE THE D'AMBROIS?"

      "Ahem…" one soldier cleared his throat. "Cit'zen, we think that p'rhaps… The Combatants de Liberté may have som'thing to do with it." 

      "You all are so smart." Sakyou began, his voice dripping in sarcasm, "Why, _you all should be the General of the Revolutionary Army and not me! You're both just so amazing!" Obviously, by the expression on the soldiers face, they thought they were being paid a compliment. "Of COURSE it was the Combatants! Who else would it be?! Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Sakyou sighed heavily as the two confused soldiers ran out of the room. "And tell the Toguro Brothers to get in here!" he shouted after them. _

      Within a few minutes, the brothers were seated in front of Sakyou's desk. "Gentleman," he began, stroking his chin delicately, "we need to devise a way to rid ourselves of the Combatants once and for all."

      "Tell usss a little about their tendenciesss." The older Toguro brother's words seemed to sound like a snakes. 

      "Arrogant in their abilities, brilliant, crafty, we know at least one of them is rich from reports of the clothing that they wear… And we know that they are all British."

      The older Toguro stared into space for a few moments, and then his face lit up like noon. "Well, Citizen, your problem is very easy to solve… you say these people are rich British citizens in France?"

      Sakyou gave a discontented snort as a reply. 

      "Lets say we throw a little soiree in celebration of… say… the British Monarchy's reign on England and happen to invite all of the upper echelon socialites of Paris… That also happen to be English? If the Combatants are there, they will easily show themselves to us."

      "Amazing!" Sakyou jumped out of his chair. "It might actually work!" Then he hesitated. "But… I don't know if I know anyone who knows _any _of the British in Paris, let alone _all of them."_

      "Come, come, Citizen Sakyou. You mean to tell me you've never had a single Brit on your payroll, ever?" Older Toguro drummed his fingers together. 

      "Well… there was this one man… About three years he was head of the investigation team on the whereabouts of the Combatants de Liberte. His name was… Yokou Kurama. I _could_ pay a visit to his old boardinghouse and see if the landlady knows his whereabouts." Sakyou rested his head on his hands. 

      "Perfect. We'll have those enemies to the Revolution in the guillotine in no time."

..::Back at Combatant HQ::..

      The sun has a nasty way of rising too early when one has a massive hangover. This was no exception. It peeked its ways in through the tightly shut curtains of Combatant HQ and made itself at home, shining brightly on Yusuke's face. He groaned, turning towards the wall and pulling the covers over his head. 

      Outside in the communal living area, Kurama had been up before the morning star rose. Presently, he was down on his hands and knees with his head inside a lower cupboard, his expensive ruffled white stock tie dragging the dusty ground.

      "No baguettes?" He said, raising up abruptly and knocking his head against the top of the cupboard. "Ow!" one of his hands began massaging the back of his head while the other dug into his pockets to see what type of change he had on hand. Francs and gold pieces flew out of his pockets and spread themselves all over the ground. "Suppose there's no chance in any of them waking up anytime soon…" he mumbled to himself as he stole a peek at the heavily sleeping Yusuke. "I'll be back before they're even up." And with that, he grabbed his dark-blue waistcoat and headed out the door.

     The cobblestone streets of France were pleasantly quiet that morning, birds fluttered here and there and the wind played with Kurama's hair as he approached the local market. His pace quickened as he saw the baker's assistant in the distance carrying huge loaves of bread into the bakery. Reaching for the handle on the heavy wooden door, he stepped lightly inside, his nose suddenly overwhelmed with the smell of dough. People were milling about inside, change purses opening and closing furiously as people paid for their breakfasts. Kurama approached the front counter when suddenly a great din entered his ears. A lady stood at the counter, her back towards Kurama, arguing with the baker.  

      "I'm telling you, sir, if you'll just let me go home, I can bring you back the money! I can be back in five minutes and pay you, I promise!" her heavy golden brocaded hoop skirt shook as she talked with her hands out in front of her. In the morning light, one could see the sun reflecting off the many precious jeweled rings lacing her hands. 

      The baker put his arms over his chest. "Now look here, little missy. I don't know how _you _were raised, but around here, when you take something you can't pay for _and eat it,_ it's called stealing!"

      "Stealing?! I can't believe this!" her voice began to become higher and squeakier as she began to become more and more flustered. 

      "So, you can either work your breakfast off or I can call a Revolutionary soldier and he'll… deal with you." He said, with an obvious glance at the girl's chest. The baker seemed to enjoy frightening the girl, Kurama thought.

      "This just keeps getting more and more ridiculous!" A crack entered her voice as if she were about to cry. "I just left my change purse at home, I promise I'll be right back if you just-"

      "Have it your way," The baker turned away from her and called out to one of his assistants working in the store, "Étienne, go find a soldier and have him remove this thief from my store!"

      SMACK! 

      The sound of gold coins hitting the counter made the baker jump. Kurama stared up into his corpulent face. "There, that should cover it, shouldn't it?" Kurama said though his clenched teeth. He then turned towards the thoroughly shocked woman standing beside him at the counter. And that's when he noticed…

      Before, he had been standing behind her, but now as she directed her gaze toward him, he took in her immaculate beauty. Her lovely purple eyes shot into his own, her delectable white skin made the pearls around her neck pale in comparison. She held a delicate hand up to her face and brushed some stray blue hair back away from her autumn red lips. Finally, Kurama found his voice once more.

      "Lady, would you allow such an unworthy one as myself to pay for your breakfast?" he had become lost in her eyes and he could not find his way back out of them again, not that he desired ever to extract himself from them. She opened her mouth to speak, a blush creeping up her cheeks, but the baker cut her off.

      "Sir, this is way too much…" he said, holding out some of the gold back to Kurama. Kurama turned toward him abruptly, narrowing his green eyes into slits. 

      "Keep it." He shoved the baker's hand out of his face and secretly thought to himself, 'How dare someone interrupt an angel before she sings!"

      "Merci…" Her voice was like a thousand nightingales singing only for Kurama. "Merci baku, Monsieur. I will be happy to repay you if only you will wait here for five minutes… while I go get my change purse." She cast her gaze down at the floor sheepishly. 

      "Think of it… as a donation to beauty." Kurama smoothly let the line roll off of his tongue, trying to quiet his rapidly beating heart. With one sweeping motion, he grabbed her hand and quickly kissed her fair skin. As soon as he dropped her hand, he knew he had moved too fast. The blue-haired fairy looked up at him, startled. She acted as if she had never been paid a compliment before, let alone been treated with any decency.  Her pretty eyes were filled with a mix of shock and a tinge of fear at this strange red-haired man. Suddenly picking up her skirts, she proceeded to the door of the shop and pushed it open.

      "Merci again, Monsieur. Au revoir." She called over her shoulder as she stepped out into the street and disappeared from Kurama's view. Suddenly, Kurama turned around towards the baker. 

      "What's her name?" His voice came out hurried and anxious. "You must know her name, right?"

      "Let's see… her name? I just can't remember…" Kurama dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out another gold piece, handing it over to the baker with haste. "Ahh, yes, I seem to be remembering something. Botan. Botan Moreaux. 'S an interesting girl, very full of life and a little bit of a bubblehead, but a nice, solid girl." 

      'He's talking about her as if she's a slice of bread!' thought Kurama, who was just about to give the baker a piece of his mind when the man continued talking.

      "She's the cousin of the General of the Revolutionary forces, General Sakyou Moreaux… I'm sure you've heard of him." Kurama tried his best to keep in the sigh he was feeling at those words. He did let his shoulders drop a little bit, though, and the baker noted the change. Since he was a dealer of bread _and information, he knew that any small change in anything is valuable to someone. _

      "Thank you. Thank you very much." And with that, Kurama was gone, entirely forgetting the baguette he had come for. Once outside, he placed one hand over his chest and felt his racing heart. "Is it possible that this was the world I lived in this morning? Everything appears to be entirely different, knowing that just a few minutes ago Botan was here." He quietly mused to himself as he walked back towards HQ, resolved in his decision to see the enchanting Mlle. Moreaux again. 

..::Just a Few Blocks Away::..

      He had his hat pulled down over his face; it would not do for such a man as himself to be seen in such territories. This was the rather rough side of Paris, he thought to himself as he walked down the street. He could hear light-hearted music floating into the air from a courtesan hovel nearby. He would have to remember to tell his superiors of it. Before he knew where his feet were taking him, he found himself at the door of a shabby boardinghouse. Two knocks resonated on the wooden door before someone answered. It was an older woman, her frame was large and she was tall, her rough clothes hugging her body warmly. 

      "What can I do for you?" Surprisingly, she spoke in very articulate French. "Will you be staying long-term or just through the night?"

      Sakyou took off his black hat and held it between his hands. "May I speak to the owner of this establishment?" He asked, as politely as he could muster. 

      "You've found her!" The older woman beamed and held out her hand. "I'm Madame Durant and this place is mine." Sakyou merely stared at her outstretched hand with detest; he could not bring himself to grasp the hand of someone as base as a landlady. 

      "Ahem…" He was suddenly growing very uncomfortable here. " My name is Sakyou Moreaux. I'm looking for a man by the name of Youko Kurama. He used to live here about… three years ago or so. I was wondering if you knew where he moved on to, I need to get a message through to him."

      The landlady's heart skipped a beat at the sound of Kurama's name, but years of training kept her emotions hidden behind her smile. She was just about to speak when someone cut her off.

      "Whaddaya want with him?" The voice was rough on the edges, a slight British twang could be heard in the French. Someone stepped out from the shadows in the back of the room, her brunette hair hanging loosely and untidily about her shoulders. Her hands were folded across her chest, hugging her rough hewn shawl around her. Shizuru Kuwabara puffed her chest out toward Sakyou in a defensive mechanism. 

      Sakyou was a bit shocked at the lack of refinement in such a beautiful girl, but he carried onward. "I need to tell him something."

      "Well, we don't know where he is, but we could find out. Tell me the message and I'll get it to him." she raised her eyebrows defiantly.

      "Wouldn't it be easier for me to find him myself? And how are you going to find him in this huge city? I think I'll try myself."

      "Suit yourself," Shizuru seemed unconcerned, like she really didn't want to be there, "but good luck. Judging from your dress, you don't exactly have an ear to the common street people like I do. They're the ones that know everything, you know, and they won't tell a sell-out like you anything for any price."

      Sakyou sighed. He hated to admit that the fiery girl was right, but he hated the proposition of taking to street-dwellers much more. "Very well then, have it your way. Tell him the government needs one more favor. This Friday, the government is holding a little party for all the upper class British citizens. It is my job to prepare the guest list, but unfortunately I know no such persons. Tell Youko to make up a list and bring it to me on Wednesday. Remember, only _rich British citizens_." Sakyou enjoyed lying to maidens; it made the day more interesting.

      "Right, right, rich British citizens. Heard you the first time. I'll get your message to him, but it will be _such a bother…"_

      "Do you smoke?"

      "Does a cat meow?"

      "Something for your troubles." Sakyou handed her a couple of high-quality cigars from his breast-coat pocket and retreated down the street the same way he had come. Madame Durant slammed the door shut, pressing her body against it as she did. Then, she let her shaking take over. She pointed towards Shizuru.

      "Go…find….your brother….go find Kuwabara and the guys! Tell them Sakyou came around looking for Kurama."

      "Already on my way!" she reassured her as she headed towards the back exit of the establishment.

      "And Shizuru!" Madame Durant yelled after her. She whipped around.

      "Yeah?"

      "For God's sake, be careful…" she stammered, and then after Shizuru was completely out of sight, "unless you want that pretty little head of yours detached from your body." It was a sad realization, but in the time and age in which they all lived, quite true. 

Next chapter: Why was Kurama working for the GOVERNMENT?! And more Botan/Kurama waff… That is, if you review1! otherwise, adieu for good! 'till next time, toodles!

~Lara-Chan

  
  



	4. Pearl Skin and Silken Roses

      Hello all! A big thanks to all of those that reviewed! You all really rock my proverbial world ^_^  
      You say you want more Sakyou Shizuru interaction? Ok, you got it! 

      As always, Flames and Reviews alike are welcome. Just leave me something!

      Oh, and by the way… I'm such a loser. I'm in French II and spelled beaucoup like an idiot last chapter. *gets down on knees* Forgive me and thnks to Cheeto for telling me! ^_^

      Recap of Last Chapter

      "Go…find….your brother….go find Kuwabara and the guys! Tell them Sakyou came around looking for Kurama."

      "Already on my way!" she reassured her as she headed towards the back exit of the establishment.

      "And Shizuru!" Madame Durant yelled after her. She whipped around.

      "Yeah?"

      "For God's sake, be careful…" she stammered, and then after Shizuru was completely out of sight, "unless you want that pretty little head of yours detached from your body." It was a sad realization, but in the time and age in which they all lived, quite true. 

     End Recap

     Now, on with the story!

     Kurama walked along kicking a rock with the toe of his polished black boot. People milled around him in the streets, but he neither noticed nor cared. All his mind focused on a picture of paradise complete with blue locks. The very thought that she had been in that same street only moments before made an uncharacteristic blush flood his cheeks and match his vibrant hair. 

     A few blocks away, Botan was not having such a fine time. She heard them before they were upon her… and yet, she had never been the type to run, so she merely waited to see what they would say when they got near her. The heavy footsteps of some people followed her into a shady Paris alleyway where tomcats scattered as she walked by. Unfortunately, the dreaded street was the only way to her home, so there was no getting around going in. She thought perhaps the pursuers might give up when they saw her turn down the and into the darkness, but they just continued following. Suddenly, one of the men reached her and put his hand roughly on her shoulder. She could practically feel the grease from his hand dripping through the thickly brocaded dress as she turned her delicate head towards him. All in all, there were three men in the alleyway staring greedily at her smiling a sickening shade of sex. She recognized their blue and red dress at once, soldiers in her cousin Sakyou's company.

     "Well, well, well, boys. Looks like we found us a nice pretty little thing!" The other two men smiled and showed their mouths toothless, one rubbed his palms together. "What's a good looking woman doing out on these streets alone, hm?" He stared down at her breasts as he talked. "Y'can't be any older than fifteen, sixteen…"

     "Nineteen, sir, and it would be in your best interest to remove your hand from my person." She said the 'sir' with such a belittling tone that the man _did _actually think about releasing her… for a minute. Then he dismissed the silly thought.

     "Oh, I think we have a live one!"

     "I am NOT a piece of fish, and I do NOT take kindly to being treated like one."

     The man's expression fell. At first, her jests were cute, but now she was beginning to be bothersome. "Din't anyone teach you manners, little missy? Or should I haul you over my knee and give you a proper spanking myself?"

     "Oh, yes. I have the finest of manners." She hauled back her head as if to cackle, then jumped forward and spit directly in the soldiers face. He jumped back, and began wiping his huge nose with the sleeve of his coat.

     Botan took the opportunity to search around the alley for any sort of wooden board that she could use to defend herself. Off in the distance behind a stack of old crates, she could just barely see a plank with nails still jutting out of it leaning against a wall. She made a break for it, but just before she got there, she felt an extreme amount of pressure on her arms. Two of the soldiers had come forward and grabbed her wrists. They now turned her toward the alley wall and pressed her back against it. Her head hit hard, and it was all she could do to stay conscious. The third soldier strode over, still wiping the spit off of his face, and placed his mouth inches from hers. She could feel his breath against her perfect neck, his scent tinged with old alcohol.

     "I'll teach you to do that to a soldier of the Revolution." He hissed. Out of his breast coat pocket, he extracted an ivory handled knife and held it to her throat. With the other hand, he began undoing his pants. "Now, you're gonna lie down on the ground and not move. Don't even _think_ about screaming or you'll get your collar all bloody."

     Botan whimpered. She tried to do something, anything, but her body was frozen in terror. If she could only call for Sakyou or anyone at all, she could just…

     The situation looked hopeless. She had really gotten herself into a fix this time.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

     The scent of jasmine filtered through the spring air.  It infiltrated Kurama's sensitive nostrils and evoked an emotion. He had smelled that scent somewhere else today, he just couldn't remember where. Was it when he had passed the park earlier? Had it been floating down a side street on the way to the bread shop? Had he… then the pieces fell together in his mind.

     It was her scent. 

     When he had leaned close and slammed the coins down on the counter, her scent of far-east jasmine had filled his nose. Now, his emerald eyes began searching the crowd for any sign of Botan Moreaux. Unfortunately, he found none. Yet, the scent kept coming and getting stronger and stronger.

     He knew it was a million to one chance, but he didn't want to regret not checking it out. He let his nose pick up the scent and followed it to where it was strongest, until he found himself standing directly in front of a dark alleyway.

     "I SAID lay down!"

     "I'd rather die."

     "You little wench!" The soldier pressed the knife softly upon Botan's neck. She gasped, drawing in her breath sharply. Her crimson blood trickled down slowly. "Now, lay DOW-"

     "GENTLEMAN." A spooky voice echoed off of the pavement and the high walls. It was not yelling, it didn't have to. The hot anger it held could be felt without the need to raise the voice. "You will drop the knife. You will unhand her. You will walk away."

     The soldier who had been talking turned around to face this new opponent. "And who the hell do you think you are, telling _me_ what to do? Why, we're soldiers in the Revolutionary Army. We could have your little head off if you even tried to touch us!" 

     A man stepped forward towards the soldiers. His red hair was blowing in the spring wind, but his face was set in a grizzly stare. "Very well. I tried to do things the easy way." He reached back in his fiery locks and pulled out a delicate rose. The soldiers laughed stupidly.

     "Y'can't charm us, buddy. Why don't you just go on home and leave our buisiness to us, hmm?"

     "Oh, but that would be going entirely too soft on you. Then you would never realize what scum you truly are." Botan's eyes grew wide as she watched the amazing man transform the rose into a long thorny whip. She found herself talking under her breath.

     "This is no ordinary-" She breathed as Kurama jumped up in the air, his exquisite form taking on the appearance of flight. "-man." He landed. For another second, all three soldiers stood behind him as he brushed off the sleeves of his jacket. Then, their legs crumpled into a pile beneath them and they lay bleeding and groaning on the pavement. The whip turned back into a singular lovely rose. Kurama brought his wise jade eyes to meet Botan's. 

     "And so we meet again, Mlle. Moreaux. If I believed in fate, I would say the gods were telling us something." 

     Botan held a hand to her cheek, her shocked expression delighted him. Surely this was not the boisterous young girl of a couple of minutes ago… she was quite shy now. 

     "Are you hurt?" He came forward with his arm held out to her. She stared at it for a minute and then grabbed it readily, stepping over the injured soldiers and out into the middle of the alley.

     "Monsieur, twice today you have saved me. You must think me awfully unlucky." Botan cast her eyes down towards the pavement.

     "On the contrary, Mlle. Moreaux. I think _myself_ extremely lucky for running into you twice in one day." Botan's face took on a pink tint at the compliment. 

     "I…I don't even know your name. And yet, it feels like we have met before."

     "Perhaps we have, Mlle. You are Botan Moreaux. I am Youko Kurama."

     "How did you know me?" Her eyebrows twitched nervously.

     "Shall we call it intuition, Mademoiselle?" He still clutched her arm in the crook of his as he stared up at the sun. "You know, they were right. Such a lady as you really shouldn't be in a place like this by herself."

     Botan let out a sardonic laugh at the thought. "Oh, if only you knew… I'm not as much of a pushover as I look!"

     Kurama chuckled also. "I'm sure of it. However, I would feel much better if you would allow me to escort you to wherever you were going."

     "Company might be nice." She turned her eyes towards the side in a disenchanted way. She didn't want him to think she was _too _eager to be near him. But while talking to him, she couldn't help but be taken in by his lovely scent. "I was just going home. It's right up ahead."

     She stepped lightly across the ground and Kurama stayed with her. Her blue orbs wandered off to the side as he walked with her, it enchanted him that she was being so reserved. A half smile played on her lips at times, when children went running by or old men called to her from their doorsteps and tipped their hats. She was so kind, always nodding and curtsying to the people that showed respect for her on the street. As a family member of Sakyou Moreaux, she garnered quite a bit of public display.

     A few minutes later, Kurama and Botan stood outside a heavy iron gate taller than a carriage. Directly behind it, a courtyard led back to a huge columned house with billowing curtains coming out the upstairs windows. With one hand, Botan slipped open a door within the gate and turned around to close it. She looked up, her little hands resting delicately on the bars and smiled sweetly at Kurama who was on the other side. 

     He produced a red rose from his hair and held it through the bars to her. "Until we meet again, Mlle. Moreaux?"

     Taking it and holding it to her breast, she inhaled deeply in its fragrant smell. Her eyes danced, reflecting the sunlight. "Botan. Just Botan." She giggled before spinning around and running towards the door, her golden brocade skirts shaking behind her as she went.

     Kurama watched her disappear behind a large white door before turning and walking away, his heart beating so fast that he was sure it would jump out of his chest and pursue a life of its own.

     When Kurama retreated back to HQ, he found both locks on the door to be securely fastened. 

     "That's strange…" he thought, as he knocked loudly with the heavy brass knocker.

     "Who's there?" a voice from the inside spit out. It was on the verge of being feminine, but could pass as an aggressive man's.

     "Shizuru?" Kurama scratched his head. "What on earth are you doing here?" the door opened a crack, just enough for two eyes to peer outside. Then, it opened a bit more and someone grabbed Kurama's hand. He was pulled into HQ ferociously and the door was shut and locked behind him with a great deal of force. The members of his troupe were situated around the heavy oak table, all looking quite distressed.

     Genkai was examining the grains in the wood, her worried face turned downward. Hiei was furiously polishing his sword, Kuwabara was drumming his fingers against the table. Yusuke was rambling to himself, holding his hands over his ears.

     "What is going on?" Kurama asked innocently. Shizuru stopped sucking on her fine cigar long enough to answer him.

     "Guess who came looking for you?"

     "I haven't the slightest."

     "Sakyou."

     "What…" His legs caved under him and he plopped down in a chair that was around the wooden table. "What did he want from me?... Does he know who we are?"

     Shizuru pinched out the end of the cigar with the tip of her fingers. Her eyes narrowed into tiny snake slits as she began to tell the story. Rising in timbre, her voice reached the pitch of one who is frightfully angry but afraid to be so. As she spoke, Kurama let her voice lull him into a comfortable trance. He heard her words but did not see her completely. His eyes were seeing something that happened so many years ago…when the waters of his mind were wholly uncharted and he was adrift in blissful naïveté. 

..::Kurama's Flashback::..

-Three Years Ago-

     "Left, left, left, right left!" the drill sergeant called out in the main courtyard of the compound. Hundreds of soldiers stopped as he raised his hand, their red and blue uniforms fluttering in the winter wind.

     The revolution was still young and the zeal was evident on the soldier's faces. All of the Revolutionary forces, with the help of a few foreign commanders, had taken over the Monarchy and formed a republic just recently. Now, this new government said, was the time to purge the land of nobles and tyrants. 

     "That's enough for today, men!" The drill sergeant yelled and the troops scattered, grateful to be free. He pulled his jacket tighter around him and adjusted the pin of the Union Jack on his lapel. With one hand, he smoothed his auburn hair, his green eyes glinting at the new world this Revolution had made. The country was now for the common man's taking, and he was going to be a part of the future of La France. How very young he was.

     The newly falling snow crunched under the weight of Drill Sergeant Youko Kurama's boots as he slid across the courtyard to a nearby bench and sat down. He began to rub his arms furiously to try to generate some form of heat. Not a moment later, he began to hear someone approaching him from behind. 

     "Citizen Kurama!" Kurama jumped up and turned around, clicking his heels together and saluting as he did so.  

     "citizen Sakyou!" he half-heartedly yelled in return. Sakyou came around to the front of the bench and sat down, taking off his hat and holding it in his lap. Kurama seated himself also and leaned his back against the wood, staring at the lovely winter scene.

     "The snow is so… pure." Sakyou mused as he caught a falling flake on the tip of his finger. Kurama merely hummed in agreement. A moment later, the snowflake melted and Sakyou became entirely buisiness-like. "Citizen Robespierre has a favor to ask of you."

     "Really?" there was a slight tinge of excitement in Kurama's voice. It was not every day that the leader of the Revolution asked for you personally.

     "You see, yesterday, the new guillotine from Germany was installed in the town square."

     "Was it?"

     "So, executions of the Enemies of the Revolution can begin."

     "I see…"

     "Do you know what the first name on the executioners list is?"

     "No, Citizen, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

     "A certain former queen with the last name of Antoinette."

     "Marie?" A shocked look came over Kurama's face. Even in these tumultuous times, executing a member of the Royal Family was simply not done. "Queen Marie Antoinette?"   

     "The same. Oh, and former if you don't mind. We French are a bit sensitive about that point…"

     "Right…Sorry. Former. But what does all of this have to do with me, Citizen Sakyou?"

     Sakyou rubbed his eyebrows and placed his cap back upon his head. It is a great honor to…. Well, first, I want you to know that _I_ was the one that recommended you to Robespierre for the job…. Antoinette is being held in the White Tower. There is a wooden cart with a cage directly outside the tower gate. Take the former Queen, place her in the cage, and accompany her to the town square. You should be there at sunset today. Yes, Youko… A great honor. You must think of it as such. I trust you will not refuse?"

     What could Kurama say? While he wasn't entirely keen on the position he stood in, it would be considered rude to his superior to refuse after Sakyou had worked to allow him to do this.

     "No, Citizen, I wouldn't dream of it."

     "Excellent." Sakyou drew out the 'x' as if he were a snake. And perhaps he was. "Now, if you will be so kind as to excuse me, I must join ma cousine for lunch at our home. Good day, Citizen Kurama. At sunset." 

     "At sunset…" and with that, Sakyou stood up and retreated across the compound, leaving Kurama all alone to think.

     He had heard much about 'former' Queen Antoinette since he had arrived in Paris; namely that she was loud, demanding, and raised the nation's debt so much that the state of France had filed for bankruptcy. Such a woman _should have had no sentimental attachment to Kurama and _should _be easy to escort without losing too much moral ground._

     Then why did it feel like an elephant was sitting on Kurama's stomach?

     It wasn't that Kurama had never had a direct hand in killing before. In the Revolution, he had stared Loyalists down and then blown them apart without the slightest blink of an eye. It was just…different when you weren't fighting for an ideal. Then, such an act as killing stood out as a sin in Kurama's mind, the gravest sin one can commit. It was almost senseless, without cause and without provocation.

     However, if he refused, Kurama would be the one in the guillotine tonight.

     Left without a choice, Kurama made his way to the White Tower about an hour before sundown. Scaling the many stairs his mind drew a picture of what this 'former' queen might be like. He imagined her very rough and beautiful, her lips a deep red and pulled into a frown. Undoubtedly, she would be either angry or emotional when he came to receive her. After all, she was riding to her death.

     He approached the end of the stairwell. A solitary guard was leaning against a heavy barred door, but Kurama showed him the proper identification and he stepped aside.

     "S'in there. Have fun with that'n."

     Kurama flung the door open, the knot in his stomach increasing with every passing second. "Marie Antoinette! The time has come!" 

     She turned to face him. 

OOOH, I'm mildly evil. Next chapter (that is, if there is one, you have to review you know), the conclusion of the flashback… some Shizuru/Skayou waff, and of course, some Kurama/Botan waff ^_^

LIKE IT?

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TELL ME!

Review away! Till next time, toodles!


	5. Siren Song and Lettered Heartstrings

Hey again, minna! Sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated… time just gets away from you, you know? Well, anyways, I want to thank all of my reviewers so MUCH! It means a lot to me ^_^

**Leiko**** Sagatori-_ Why, thank you! I know, I hate cliffhangers too, but they're soo much fun to write! Thanks for the review!_**

**Darling Chii-** Heh, I hope you like the conclusion of the flashback! And I hope it's as fun to read as it was to write (:

**PinkFlamingo22-** More Shizuru/Sakyou scenes? No problem! Here they are, I hope you enjoy it. And thankies for the positive support!

**YUYURULE****- Well, thankies! Hope you continue reading!**

**Sska****- Read on for more Shizuru/Sakyou waff, my friend. I love that couple too. And I'm glad you like my story!**

**Cheeto**-** he he he. Why thank you for noticing my ~evil~ side ^_^ And thanks for your continued support of this story! It means the world!**

**KitsuneGirl****- GOOD! I'm glad that's the reaction I'm getting! You have no idea how happy that makes me! Read on, Botany, read on!**

**ShyLilSweety1-** Aww thanks! Yeah, I thought Kurama was being sweet too! He better be sweet to our Botan-chan, ne? Well anyways, thanks again for the nice review!

**Passionate Angel-** YOU ROCK MY WORLD! Hehehe, thanks for sticking with me through the long chapters! More Botan/Kurama and Shizuru/Sakyou waff up ahead. Hope you like it!

Now, on with the story!  
Chapter 5: Siren Song and Lettered Heartstrings 

     A slim figure sat on a three-legged stool by a barred window staring out across the sky. She turned her cheek slightly and smiled. "I realized, kind sir. I am ready." Standing up, she was disarmingly beautiful, wearing a simple black frock and with her hair falling down around her shoulders. Kurama was just a bit taken back at her attitude, but nonetheless, he went forward and grabbed her arm in an attempt to 'pull' her towards the cell door and outside. She closed her eyes in great contemplation and began humming something old and sacred to herself.

     "What is that song?" Kurama asked, staring down into her calm eyes.

     "Ave Maria."

     "Right." By this time, the two were almost down the stairs. "My mother used to sing it…. At Christmas mass every year." Former Queen Antoinette smiled at Kurama. 

     "When did you lose her?"

     "How did you know she was dead?" Kurama tightened the grip on her arm.

     "Your eyes told me. You're just…you're just a child yourself." And with those words, she stepped out into the sunlight. Gliding lightly over to the rickety wooden cage, she climbed up into it as if she was going into a royal carriage and willingly let Kurama lock it. Her grace was evident even with the simplest things, she was so very refined and genteel. 

     Kurama went to the front of the cart and took his place at the driver's seat. One flick of the reins and they were off. The sun was wavering a few seconds above the horizon and Kurama knew that soon, the world would set permanently on Marie.

     She seated herself in the cage, and with each turn of the road she sang her siren song a little louder. It was all Kurama could do to keep his eyes from tearing up and he wasn't exactly sure why. Something about this was entirely wrong, against the way of the revolution.

     He had fought to give the Common Man a chance.

     But every man deserved a chance.

     Every human deserved a chance at greatness.

     Before, he had killed to save.

     Now, he must save to kill…

     To kill the monster named Republic that he and his comrades had created.

     Kurama pulled back hard on the horse's reins and whipped around in his seat. "We've got to get you out of here! No one, no one deserves to die!" He stuck his hands through the bars at her and she smiled and rose. Slowly, she took his rough hand in her smooth, royal one and looked deep into his green eyes.

     "You will do wonderful things for my people, you will lead them to this light that they have lost."

     "That's not important right now! What is important is that we find a place to hide you!"

     She lowered her head. "…Just a child. Just a child at heart with no mother to take care of him. No, my dear. I shall go where I am wanted so that many centuries from now, people will look back on this atrocity and know that the sin of war only brings more death."

     Kurama could not believe the words he was hearing. "Listen, there was already one Joan of Arc! It didn't work then and it won't work now! Please, let me help you!"

     "I'm afraid we must decline for we will be the harbingers of change."

     "We?"

     "Yes, my brave soldier. My unborn child and I."

     Horror is realized in many places, sometimes too late, sometimes just in time. Now the horror of the so-called Golden Revolution had been revealed. If reaching a world for the masses meant the slaughtering of a mother and an innocent, Kurama wanted no part of it. 

     Marie Antoinette let go of Kurama's hand and seated herself on the floor of the cage once more. "Our fates have given us this role. Let us act it out. I only ask one thing, dear soldier. I ask that you remember my face, and when you do change the world… do it for my tiny little daughter. While her body will die today, she will live on through your deeds. Please, do it for my Oriel."

     Kurama hesitated for a moment.

     "Please, kind soldier, drive forward." Tears sprung from Kurama's eyes as he turned around and snapped the horses on. All was silent for a minute, only the singing of the Ave Maria in the background. Marie's voice had a strange ethereal quality, unlike anything from this world and wholly divine. 

     A little earthquake shook through Kurama's body as they approached the main square. Cheering and jeering increased as the cart entered and drew closer to Marie's fate. In the dead center stood the tall metal blade, its shadow falling over the villager's heads and its seared edge glimmering in the rapidly setting sun. Kurama stopped the cart at the foot of its stairs and dismounted to go around back and unlock the wooden cage. Sakyou and Robespierre, who were both standing on the wooden platform with the executioner, gave him a friendly nod. Marie Antoinette walked over to the door of the cage and stepped down lightly onto the ground. She then directed her gaze to the steps leading up to the platform.

     Kurama took her hand in his and stared at her features. His calm voice resonated with contempt and anger. "My Queen." He tried to control his voice, to stop it from cracking. 

     "Pour Oriel?" She asked.

     "Pour Oriel." Kurama answered with determination. 

     She smiled. "My dear child, avert your eyes. One so pure as you should not see." With that, the 'former' queen mounted the steps to meet her destiny.

     But Kurama could not turn away, some gruesome part of his humanity held his eyes to the guillotine. He saw them force her down in it, saw the executioner let go the rope, but her last seconds before the blade fell seemed to last for hours. She was saying something, something to the crowd with her eyes open. What was it?

     "Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy wom-"

     SHING.

     The blade crashed. And Kurama's world sliced apart with it. 

************  
     After the execution of Marie Antoinette, the prominent Drill Sergeant Youko Kurama disappeared into the aftermath and melee. While Citizen Sakyou spent some time looking for the man, he could find no trace of him and soon gave up. It was not worth his time to check thoroughly, anyway. A few weeks after the beheading, a new political faction arose. The Combattants de Liberté sprang out of the darkness into the night and started freeing nobles facing execution all over the city. Their identities unknown, they gained access into many restricted Government areas and caused an uproar within the new Republic. No one knew where they came from or how they began, and no one ever expected a correlation between the appearance of the Combattants and the disappearance of Youko Kurama.

..::End of Kurama's Flashback::..

     Shizuru was just finishing up her story, and while she wasn't sure Kurama had been listening the _entire time, she thought she got her point across well enough. She plopped down at the wooden table across from Genkai and drew another match out of her brassiere, lighting another cigar in one fluid motion. _

     Yusuke groaned and stretched, then rose from out of his chair. "Well, Captain, how are we going to avoid this one?" 

     "Who said anything about avoiding anything?" Kurama stated it very calmly, as if he were talking about a tea party.

     "WHAT?!" Yusuke's temper flared. "You're not gonna HELP SAKYOU plan this little gathering, are you? Isn't it OBVIOUS, Kurama? Don't you GET IT? He's putting on a party for RICH ENGLISHMEN, to see if he can catch the Combattants… have you forgotten that's US?!" Kuwabara nodded his head in agreement. 

     "No, I hadn't, but thank you for checking, Yusuke." Kurama then turned his attention towards Genkai and Hiei. "It appears we were not as careful as we should have been in our last excursion. Sakyou seems to have a description on us… Rich British citizens?"

     "Hn." Hiei remarked his famous line. 

     "What?! You guys SUPPORT THIS?!" Kuwabara shouted. The sound of his voice aroused Hiei to verbal assault level.

     "Yes, you gigantic oaf. What else would you, O all encompassing Kuwabara, have us do?"

     Kuwabara scratched his head. "Well, I think-"

     "It was rhetorical." Hiei did not _need to raise his voice to sound angry and altogether frightening. "If he didn't go, if we didn't go, then Sakyou will automatically assume that Kurama is the leader of the Combattants…which he is, Yuskue..or have you forgotten?"_

     Yusuke crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. "But why can't Shizuru just tell him that she couldn't _find Youko Kurama?"_

     "Because," Kurama spoke in his quiet, articulate way. "that would be hiding, and Youko Kurama does not hide. Furthermore, the Combattants de Liberté do not hide. Agreed?" Genkai and Hiei shook their heads automatically. After a nudge from Shizuru, Kuwabara grunted in reply. Yusuke merely stood staring at the wall.

     "Keiko…" he breathed. 

     "Yusuke. I promised Keiko I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I intend to keep that promise. Do you trust me enough to do this?"

     A pause.

     "I'd follow you into hell, Kurama." 

     Kurama smiled. "And I believe that is _exactly where we'll be going." The members of his troupe stood in front of him, all slightly frightened and slightly excited. "Now then, I'll need two pieces of paper, one for the guest list and one for a note to 'Citizen' Sakyou." After sitting down at the table, Shizuru extracted the necessary supplies and a quill pin from the writing box in Yusuke's bedroom. "Right. The list of invitees. We'll divide it up into five sections and each take some names. Shizuru will take the other note to Sakyou."_

     Then, he dipped his pen in the ebony ink and flourished the paper with a beautiful hand. First, he made the invitation list, over one hundred of the finest Britain had to offer. Then he sat down to write the other note.

     _Citizen Sakyou,_

_                        It is an honor to hear from you again after so long. I would be happy to plan your soiree for you this Friday. I will invite the upper class British citizens and I am sure that they will attend solely because of your grace. However, there is a small problem. Very recently, Monsieur and Madame Bennington hosted a party for the same group of people. In this humble man's opinion, it would be best to differentiate your gathering from theirs. May I be so bold as to suggest a costume party? Thank you for your consideration in choosing me for this splendid deed and I will look forward with an open heart to seeing you on Friday._

_     Long Live the Revolution!_

_     Youko Kurama, Former Drill Sergeant of the 3rd Squadron_

     "Doesn't it hurt you to lie through your teeth for that long?" Yusuke asked.

     "Extremely painful." Kurama stuck the letter in an envelope and handed it to Shizuru. "Now, we have our assignments. I suggest we begin." 

     "Right!" Kuwabara was the first one out the door, his exuberance was quite remarkable. The rest filed out after him with Shizuru last.

     "I'll take it right away…" She held up the letter in her hands. "But Kurama, please be careful."

     "I always am." With each step she took, his heart began to beat faster and faster. That letter, the letter he had written, was going to the house of Botan Moreaux. Perhaps, Sakyou would leave it out somewhere and she would chance on it, her pearl hand touching the words that he had written only moments before. 

     Botan…

     He knew thinking about women was dangerous; it dulled the senses of a rebel. But he couldn't help it, better to be dull and die than to be vibrant and put the sweet thought of her aside. 

**********

     The house was just too big for any one family. No one needed that much space, its white columns marching up towards the sky and infinity. She and Kuwabara would get lost inside and never see each other for days.

     Hey, that might not be such a bad thing…..

     Shizuru sat on the Romanesque marble stairs leading up to the Moreaux mansion. Her brunette locks peeked out from under her hat and played in the wind. She had already been sitting there too long, while a _servant_ went to find 'Master Moreaux', and she was just about to leave when she heard footsteps behind her.

She could tell that they came from expensive shoes, the way that the heel clicked against the marble in a definite crack. It would be him. Sakyou.

Abruptly, Shizuru sprang to her feet and wheeled around to meet him, clutching the letter to her breast. 

"Shame on such a man as yourself, keeping a girl waiting…" She smiled, half sardonically.

"Unfortunately," Sakyou's voice was cold. "I have no time for such jests." He eyed the letter. "Is that for me?"

Oh! He wanted to play this the hard way, did he? Shizuru was only too happy to oblige. She turned so her back faced him.

"Might be…"

"Girl, I said I have no time!"

"And what makes you think I have all the time in the world to go traipsing around the city trying to find this Kurama character, huh, _Citizen?"_

Sakyou grabbed her arm and twisted it a bit. "Give me the letter." His teeth were on the verge of being clenched.

'He really doesn't know what he's dealing with, does he?' thought Shizuru. With that, she yelped as if Sakyou was breaking her arm and fell on her knees in front of him. "'Eavens, Cit'zen! I'm but a poor girl! I beg 'f you, don't 'urt me so! Look at 'ow this man 'urts me, a poor defens'less woman!" She put on her best 'commoner' accent.

Sakyou was shocked to say the least. He sneered and brought his face inches away from hers.

"_Why_ are you doing this?!" He whispered through clenched teeth, well aware of all the people passing by and giving him reprimanding glances. 

Shizuru twisted her features into a wicked smile. "Because you're being a jerk."

One wealthy woman on the sidewalk looked up at the spectacle. "Look how citizen Sakyou treats her. Tsk, tsk, for shame on a man of his status."

Her husband replied, "Indeed…"

Sakyou let out a long sigh and released her arm. She stood and dusted herself off, trying to conceal her smirk. Then, Shizuru held the letter out in front of her and sighed. 

"Hmmmm." At this point, Sakyou tried to make a grab at it, to pull it out of her grasp. But she evaded him and stuck the letter down the front of her shirt. He huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Do you honestly believe that _that_ will stop me?"

"Try it and you might just lose a finger."

"Fine. What do you want for it?"

"Well… I _am_ running a little low on cigars."

"Cigars?! I just gave you some this morning."

"Oh! I didn't realize that you didn't' want to strike a deal. No matter. I'll just return this, then…" Shizuru began to walk away from him, her hands behind her back and her head high in the air.

"Wait!" She turned around. He mumbled something to himself as he dug around in his waistcoat pocket and fished out some cigars. She took them gingerly, and making sure no one was looking, slid the note from Kurama in his outstretched hand.

"Why thank you kindly, Cit'zen. Right nice y'are t' do this for me!" She smiled fakely.

"I really don't like you." He whispered.

"It's quite mutual."

And with that, she wheeled around and gracefully stomped off. For some reason, Sakyou couldn't help notice what a fine…

Derrière…

She was endowed with.

He loosened his cravat just a bit and mumbled something to himself about the sudden change in temperature.  Why did this girl make him feel this way? Surely she could exude no power over him, right?

Right?

He hated feeling flustered. It was almost worse than feeling happy. Shizuru, strangely enough, made him feel both. 

Well, there you have it, my dears!!!! 

Did you like it?

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TELL ME!  
Next chapter: Shizuru/Sakyou waff, and of course, Kurama/Botan waff! That is, if you review… otherwise, no next chapter and it all stops here. ^_^  
Hope you enjoyed it! Toodles tillnexttime!

Lara-chan


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